Pagodas & Buddhist Temples

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

📍 Bangkok, Thailand · 🕐 1784

Wat Phra Kaew, located within the Grand Palace complex, houses the most revered Buddha image in Thailand — a 26-inch jade Buddha dressed in gold seasonal costumes changed by the King himself three times a year.

Angkor Wat (Buddhist Period)

📍 Siem Reap, Cambodia · 🕐 12th century

Originally built as a Hindu temple, Angkor Wat was gradually converted to Theravada Buddhism in the late 13th century. It remains the largest religious monument in the world, spanning 162.6 hectares with intricate bas-reliefs stretching over 800 meters.

Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)

📍 Kyoto, Japan · 🕐 1397

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion is a Zen Buddhist temple covered in gold leaf. Its top two floors are completely covered in brilliant gold leaf, and the structure is reflected perfectly in the mirror-like Kyōko-chi pond, creating one of the most iconic images in Japanese culture.

Wat Arun

📍 Bangkok, Thailand · 🕐 17th century

The Temple of Dawn stands majestically on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. Its 79-meter central prang (Khmer-style tower) is decorated with colorful porcelain and seashells that glitter brilliantly in the morning sun.

Todai-ji

📍 Nara, Japan · 🕐 752

Todai-ji houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, standing 15 meters tall. The Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden) that contains it was once the largest wooden building in the world.

Potala Palace

📍 Lhasa, China · 🕐 1645

Perched at 3,700 meters above sea level, the Potala Palace was the winter residence of the Dalai Lama. This 13-story structure contains over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines, and 200,000 statues, making it the highest ancient palace in the world.

Jokhang Temple

📍 Lhasa, China · 🕐 647

The Jokhang is considered the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. It houses the Jowo Rinpoche, a statue of the young Buddha said to have been blessed by Buddha himself, making it the most revered object in Tibetan Buddhism.

Swayambhunath Stupa

📍 Kathmandu, Nepal · 🕐 5th century

Boudhanath Stupa

📍 Kathmandu, Nepal · 🕐 14th century

Mahabodhi Temple

📍 Bodh Gaya, India · 🕐 3rd century BCE

Tiger's Nest Monastery

📍 Paro, Bhutan · 🕐 1692

Shwezigon Pagoda

📍 Nyaung-U, Myanmar · 🕐 1102

Dambulla Cave Temple

📍 Dambulla, Sri Lanka · 🕐 1st century BCE

Temple of the Tooth

📍 Kandy, Sri Lanka · 🕐 16th century

Ryoan-ji

📍 Kyoto, Japan · 🕐 1450

Wat Pho

📍 Bangkok, Thailand · 🕐 16th century

Senso-ji

📍 Tokyo, Japan · 🕐 645

Pha That Luang

📍 Vientiane, Laos · 🕐 1566

Haeinsa Temple

📍 Hapcheon, South Korea · 🕐 802

Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)

📍 Chiang Rai, Thailand · 🕐 1997

Tian Tan Buddha

📍 Ngong Ping, Hong Kong · 🕐 1993

Bulguksa Temple

📍 Gyeongju, South Korea · 🕐 528

Luang Prabang Temples

📍 Luang Prabang, Laos · 🕐 14th century

Byodo-in

📍 Uji, Japan · 🕐 1053

Sigiriya

📍 Sigiriya, Sri Lanka · 🕐 5th century

Horyuji

📍 Ikaruga, Japan · 🕐 607

Sukhothai Historical Park

📍 Sukhothai, Thailand · 🕐 13th century

Leshan Giant Buddha

📍 Leshan, China · 🕐 803

Prambanan (Buddhist Temples)

📍 Yogyakarta, Indonesia · 🕐 9th century

Doi Suthep

📍 Chiang Mai, Thailand · 🕐 1383

Ananda Temple

📍 Bagan, Myanmar · 🕐 1105

Longmen Grottoes

📍 Luoyang, China · 🕐 493

Mogao Caves

📍 Dunhuang, China · 🕐 4th century

Famen Temple

📍 Baoji, China · 🕐 2nd century

Sanchi Stupa

📍 Sanchi, India · 🕐 3rd century BCE

Ajanta Caves

📍 Aurangabad, India · 🕐 2nd century BCE

Ellora Caves (Buddhist)

📍 Aurangabad, India · 🕐 6th–11th century

Nalanda University Ruins

📍 Nalanda, India · 🕐 5th century

Sarnath

📍 Varanasi, India · 🕐 3rd century BCE

Wat Xieng Thong

📍 Luang Prabang, Laos · 🕐 1560

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda

📍 Mon State, Myanmar · 🕐 6th century

Mihintale

📍 Mihintale, Sri Lanka · 🕐 3rd century BCE

Gangaramaya Temple

📍 Colombo, Sri Lanka · 🕐 19th century

Dazu Rock Carvings

📍 Chongqing, China · 🕐 9th–13th century

Seokguram Grotto

📍 Gyeongju, South Korea · 🕐 774

Kiyomizu-dera

📍 Kyoto, Japan · 🕐 778

Polonnaruwa

📍 Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka · 🕐 12th century

Yungang Grottoes

📍 Datong, China · 🕐 460

Chion-in

📍 Kyoto, Japan · 🕐 1234

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

📍 Xi'an, China · 🕐 652

Spring Temple Buddha

📍 Lushan, China · 🕐 2008

Wat Benchamabophit

📍 Bangkok, Thailand · 🕐 1899

Gal Vihara

📍 Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka · 🕐 12th century

Thien Mu Pagoda

📍 Hue, Vietnam · 🕐 1601

One Pillar Pagoda

📍 Hanoi, Vietnam · 🕐 1049

Karni Mata and Dilwara Temples

📍 Mount Abu, India · 🕐 11th–13th century

Nishi Hongan-ji

📍 Kyoto, Japan · 🕐 1591

Gandhara Buddhist Ruins

📍 Taxila, Pakistan · 🕐 5th century BCE

Bayon Temple

📍 Siem Reap, Cambodia · 🕐 Late 12th century

Kandy Esala Perahera Route

📍 Kandy, Sri Lanka · 🕐 3rd century BCE

Thatbyinnyu Temple

📍 Bagan, Myanmar · 🕐 1144

Tooth Relic Temple

📍 Singapore, Singapore · 🕐 2007

Preah Vihear

📍 Preah Vihear, Cambodia · 🕐 9th–12th century

Bhamala Stupa

📍 Haripur, Pakistan · 🕐 4th century

Erdene Zuu Monastery

📍 Kharkhorin, Mongolia · 🕐 1585

Samye Monastery

📍 Shannan, China · 🕐 779

Bodhi Tree Temple (Anuradhapura)

📍 Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka · 🕐 3rd century BCE

Fo Guang Shan

📍 Kaohsiung, Taiwan · 🕐 1967

Lumbini

📍 Lumbini, Nepal · 🕐 3rd century BCE

Menander's Stupa (Sialkot)

📍 Sialkot, Pakistan · 🕐 2nd century BCE

Bai Dinh Pagoda

📍 Ninh Binh, Vietnam · 🕐 2003

Kopan Monastery

📍 Kathmandu, Nepal · 🕐 1969

Sam Poh Tong

📍 Ipoh, Malaysia · 🕐 1890

Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya

📍 Kelaniya, Sri Lanka · 🕐 3rd century BCE

Dhammakaya Cetiya

📍 Pathum Thani, Thailand · 🕐 2000

Kushinagar

📍 Kushinagar, India · 🕐 3rd century BCE

Chua Buu Long

📍 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam · 🕐 1942

Nara Daibutsu-den Approaches

📍 Nara, Japan · 🕐 8th century

Kanchi Kailasanathar

📍 Kanchipuram, India · 🕐 7th century

Beopjusa

📍 Boeun, South Korea · 🕐 553

Ruwanwelisaya

📍 Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka · 🕐 140 BCE

Gangtok Monasteries

📍 Gangtok, India · 🕐 18th century

Phra Pathom Chedi

📍 Nakhon Pathom, Thailand · 🕐 3rd century BCE

Amaravati Stupa

📍 Amaravati, India · 🕐 3rd century BCE

Mulkirigala Raja Maha Viharaya

📍 Tangalle, Sri Lanka · 🕐 2nd century BCE

Changu Narayan

📍 Bhaktapur, Nepal · 🕐 5th century

Kamakura Daibutsu

📍 Kamakura, Japan · 🕐 1252

Yonghegong Lama Temple

📍 Beijing, China · 🕐 1694

Takht-i-Bahi

📍 Mardan, Pakistan · 🕐 1st century

Taktshang (Tiger's Nest Views)

📍 Paro Valley, Bhutan · 🕐 1692

Mahamyatmuni Pagoda

📍 Mandalay, Myanmar · 🕐 1784

Dhamek Stupa

📍 Sarnath, India · 🕐 500

Maha Wizaya Pagoda

📍 Yangon, Myanmar · 🕐 1980

Pulguksa Temple Bell

📍 Gyeongju, South Korea · 🕐 771

Aukana Buddha

📍 Aukana, Sri Lanka · 🕐 5th century

Thanboddhay Pagoda

📍 Monywa, Myanmar · 🕐 1939

Jetavanaramaya

📍 Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka · 🕐 273